xylene
noun/ˈzaɪliːn/
Etymology From xyl- + -ene.
1
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Any of a group of three isomeric aromatic hydrocarbons, found in coal and wood tar.
- […] proceeding, desperately, from such opiated catarrh preparations as Collis Brown's Mixture on to cocainized brain tonics, cigarettes soaked in absinthe, xylene in unventilated rooms, and so on […]2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 262:
- Derived terms
- musk xylene, m-xylene, xylene musk